Is there anyone in your life that just seems to rub you the wrong way by their mere presence? No doubt many of us, if not all of us, have more than one of these types of people that we regularly come in contact with. Mostly, we try to avoid these people so that we will be spared the shame of reacting in a rude or "non-Christian" manner. We have to ask ourselves however, if that is what Jesus would have us do? Should we avoid contact with certain people to spare our own emotions?

We have to understand that what we see on the outside of people is not always who they are on the inside. The people who rub us the wrong way, probably rub everyone else the wrong way as well. In a recent book by Mary Southerland, she labels these types of people as "Sandpaper people: People who rub us the wrong way. "It doesn’t do any good to ignore these people, as that usually will just inflame their abrasive behavior. Instead, "sandpaper people" need someone to look beyond their abrasive behavior and rough exterior, and recognize their worth through what is seen behind their exterior.

The most important thing that should go through our mind as a Christian is that these people are probably sinful, broken, wounded, and sick. If this is true, these are the people in which Jesus came for. The woman at the Samaritan well (John 4) is a perfect example of a "sandpaper person" who was transformed by One who looked beyond her flawed humanity to recognize the worth of her soul. On the outside, what we know of her is not good. She was immoral: "The fact is you have five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband"- v 18; she was spiritually ignorant: " Sir, you have nothing to draw [water] with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water?"- v 11; and, being a Samaritan, she was considered an outcast by the Jews: "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you offer me a drink? (Jews do not associate with Samaritans)"-v 9. But Jesus looked passed all her rough exterior and spiritual immaturity, and taught her about the true peace (living water) that He would bring her: "but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life"- v 14.

There are many people in the world today, in fact many in our own communities, who take on this type of rough exterior. As disciples of Jesus, we are called to minister and care for these people in the way that Jesus ministered and cared for the woman at the well. Confronting an abrasive person doesn’t have to result in a shameful reaction from us. Instead, if we will look past the rough exterior, like Jesus did, we will more than likely see a sinful and broken person in need of someone to see them for whom they can be and not for whom they are. This is one way that Jesus has called us to share the Gospel with everyone, especially our enemies.

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